“Diablo III” was a mess when it first launched. Players had trouble logging in, the auction house trading format was a curious experiment, and the game was weighed down with King Kong-sized expectations. The action role-playing game stumbled and failed to match the success of its legendary predecessors.

But the way titles are developed now, flawed games can have a second life. Developers can tweak the gameplay and add new content. After a few months in the wild, a project can transform from an awkward mistake to a polished experience.

That’s what happened to “Diablo III” as it was transitioned for its expansion pack, “Reaper of Souls.” Blizzard introduced a slew of patches that fixed issues in the title. The team killed the Auction House, where players could sell items found during an adventure for real money. They modified the difficulty and revamped the loot system.

There’s now a good reason to visit or return to the world of Sanctuary. “Reaper of Souls” introduces an additional hero, the Crusader, as well as new abilities for the older classes and an additional act that rounds out the tale. The expansion pack takes off after Diablo’s defeat. There’s a new threat to humanity as the angel Malthael becomes corrupted. He sees people as a threat to the realm of High Heavens and essentially becomes the Grim Reaper to wipe out the mortals. It’s up to the returning heroes, also known as the nephalem, to stop him.

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“Reaper of Souls” sticks to the hack and slash gameplay, where players take on hordes of foes and use a combination of powers to survive waves of monsters. Acting like a tank, the Crusader offers a compelling mix of attacks. It’s a slow-moving character who can blast demons from afar or stand toe to toe with them in a brawl. The hero presents players with new strategies, and they will be constantly switching powers to handle the shifting battlefield.

As for the campaign itself, “Diablo III” benefits from the updated loot system, where powerful items are more common. Blizzard hits the right balance, in which powerful items feel valuable because of their stats and scarcity. Along with that, players can level up faster than they have before, so they can play through once and attain all their hero abilities.

Although the new version is short and challenging, players will get more run out of a new feature called Adventure Mode. It gives players free rein to explore Sanctuary, but they will mostly be going after Bounties, which are various missions. It will scratch their itch to dungeon dive and complete the fun feedback loop, where players are rewarded for their effort.

Blizzard has made tweaking characters and squeezing out every advantage an art form. “Reaper of Souls” caters to those who can’t get enough of the hack, slash and get-loot gameplay. It gives players every advantage to fine tune their characters and transform them from lowly warriors to powerful champions.

Contact Gieson Cacho at 510-735-7076 or gcacho@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/gcacho.